entire incident. After all, James ’s vehement refus al of Felicity’s request shou ld ha ve put an end to it .
She smiled weakly at Milly’s concerned face. ‘ No, I’m fine, Milly , honestly. I just di dn’t sleep very well . ’
Eleanor found the d owager already at the breakfast table, engrossed in the contents of a letter she was reading. Her dark eyes grew narrower and the furrows on her f orehead deeper, as she evidently tried to make sense of the script.
‘ Hmph, ’ she huffed at leng th, folding up the letter and slipping it back in to its envelope b efore booming out , ‘ Stevens! ’
‘ Yes, your g race? ’ muttered the footman , appearing alongside her.
‘ We are to receive another visitor today . See to it that the lilac room at the end of Lady Eleanor’s corridor is made up immediately. ’
‘Another visitor, ma’am? May I ask who?’ enquired Eleanor, as the footman took his leave of the room
‘ Indeed you may, Eleanor . It is a young widow from Hungary, who is keen to participate in the Season here. She is a protégée of a very old friend of mine, who, I confess, I have not heard from for quite some time. ’
Ele anor widened her eyes . ‘ A young widow ? Do you have any idea of her age? ’
‘ One can assume that she is a little older than you , Eleanor. Although hopefully she is a little less … hard work , ’ replied the d owager , through pursed lips.
Despite her godmother’s disparaging comment, E leanor’s spirits soared . It would be fun to have another young lady in the house . And she would no longer be out numbered by James and Derek Lo vell. Yes, the news regarding their new guest had cheered up Eleanor considerably.
Just at that mome nt, James entered the breakfast- room. Eleanor h ad not set eyes on him since his conversa tion with Felicity yesterday. Feigning a great dea l of interest in the slice of toast she was buttering, Eleanor mumbled a good morning. She wondered how he was feeling ; whether he , too, had had a fitful night’s sleep . She didn’t have long to wait to find out , in fact only as long as it took him to sit down and reach for the sliver coffee pot .
‘ Well, Aunt, ’ he began , ‘ I think congratulations are in order. That was one of the best garden parties ever. ’
Eleanor’s eyebrows shot to her forehead. How could he sound so … chirpy? She sneaked a look at him. He looked fine: quite normal in fact in his spotless riding att ire. Evidently his conversation with Felicity had not affected him at all.
At her nephew’s praise, the d owager ’s severe expression melted slightly. ‘ Well, if I do say so myself, James, it did go rather well thanks , in no small part , to you playing the p erfect host. All those young chits were eating out of your hand. ’
Ja mes smiled and rolled his eyes . ‘ It was all I could do to shake some of them off . ’
‘ Indeed, ’ chuckled the dowag er . ‘W ell , do not permit Cynthia Carmichael to hear you say suc h a thing. That woman will never tire in her efforts to marry you off to the ghastly Felicity. ’
At the mention of Felicity, Eleanor held her breath and raised her eyes to James. She observed how his jaw muscles tensed for a few seconds, befo re he resumed his usual relaxed countenance.
‘ I n that case , my dear Aunt, ’ he smiled, ‘ I’m afraid Cynthia Carmichael will soon be one very exhausted woman. ’
A peremptory knock at the door signalled the arrival of Giles. ‘ Begging your pardon, your g race, ’ he said , on entering the room and bowing stiffly, ‘ but there is a … a … man at the door with … something for Lady Eleanor. ’
Eleanor’s toast stopped mid-way to her mouth .
‘ What man and what something , Giles? ’ snapped the d owager .
‘ The farmer, Mickey Hump hreys, your grace. With several … dead rabbits .’
Eleanor’s heart sank . Mickey had evidently
She smiled weakly at Milly’s concerned face. ‘ No, I’m fine, Milly , honestly. I just di dn’t sleep very well . ’
Eleanor found the d owager already at the breakfast table, engrossed in the contents of a letter she was reading. Her dark eyes grew narrower and the furrows on her f orehead deeper, as she evidently tried to make sense of the script.
‘ Hmph, ’ she huffed at leng th, folding up the letter and slipping it back in to its envelope b efore booming out , ‘ Stevens! ’
‘ Yes, your g race? ’ muttered the footman , appearing alongside her.
‘ We are to receive another visitor today . See to it that the lilac room at the end of Lady Eleanor’s corridor is made up immediately. ’
‘Another visitor, ma’am? May I ask who?’ enquired Eleanor, as the footman took his leave of the room
‘ Indeed you may, Eleanor . It is a young widow from Hungary, who is keen to participate in the Season here. She is a protégée of a very old friend of mine, who, I confess, I have not heard from for quite some time. ’
Ele anor widened her eyes . ‘ A young widow ? Do you have any idea of her age? ’
‘ One can assume that she is a little older than you , Eleanor. Although hopefully she is a little less … hard work , ’ replied the d owager , through pursed lips.
Despite her godmother’s disparaging comment, E leanor’s spirits soared . It would be fun to have another young lady in the house . And she would no longer be out numbered by James and Derek Lo vell. Yes, the news regarding their new guest had cheered up Eleanor considerably.
Just at that mome nt, James entered the breakfast- room. Eleanor h ad not set eyes on him since his conversa tion with Felicity yesterday. Feigning a great dea l of interest in the slice of toast she was buttering, Eleanor mumbled a good morning. She wondered how he was feeling ; whether he , too, had had a fitful night’s sleep . She didn’t have long to wait to find out , in fact only as long as it took him to sit down and reach for the sliver coffee pot .
‘ Well, Aunt, ’ he began , ‘ I think congratulations are in order. That was one of the best garden parties ever. ’
Eleanor’s eyebrows shot to her forehead. How could he sound so … chirpy? She sneaked a look at him. He looked fine: quite normal in fact in his spotless riding att ire. Evidently his conversation with Felicity had not affected him at all.
At her nephew’s praise, the d owager ’s severe expression melted slightly. ‘ Well, if I do say so myself, James, it did go rather well thanks , in no small part , to you playing the p erfect host. All those young chits were eating out of your hand. ’
Ja mes smiled and rolled his eyes . ‘ It was all I could do to shake some of them off . ’
‘ Indeed, ’ chuckled the dowag er . ‘W ell , do not permit Cynthia Carmichael to hear you say suc h a thing. That woman will never tire in her efforts to marry you off to the ghastly Felicity. ’
At the mention of Felicity, Eleanor held her breath and raised her eyes to James. She observed how his jaw muscles tensed for a few seconds, befo re he resumed his usual relaxed countenance.
‘ I n that case , my dear Aunt, ’ he smiled, ‘ I’m afraid Cynthia Carmichael will soon be one very exhausted woman. ’
A peremptory knock at the door signalled the arrival of Giles. ‘ Begging your pardon, your g race, ’ he said , on entering the room and bowing stiffly, ‘ but there is a … a … man at the door with … something for Lady Eleanor. ’
Eleanor’s toast stopped mid-way to her mouth .
‘ What man and what something , Giles? ’ snapped the d owager .
‘ The farmer, Mickey Hump hreys, your grace. With several … dead rabbits .’
Eleanor’s heart sank . Mickey had evidently
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